Originally Posted by rottenray
There is a notion amongst smug programmers that all they need is a "concept" and enough "examples" in order to successfully mimic the advanced decision-making process even the least smart of humans use on a daily basis to sh*t and then wipe the backside.
Not amongst those I know, and I've been learning from and working with them for the last 12 years. In my experience any software engineer worth their salt would be horrified at the thought that a statement so blase could be made.
Can you name any examples, or are we talking about the school of "My Dad always said", the college of "It stands to reason" and the university of "Some bloke in the pub said so"?
@barit1
Let's be honest here though - without the input of the state you wouldn't have the Hoover Dam, the freeway system, the Boeing 707 (which was derived from a tanker design) or Concorde. Sometimes the "free" market is so focused on short-term profit that it can kill innovation in its tracks. I also don't think you'll find that many statists that demand central planning for everything, either.
We're veering off-topic here though, so I don't know how long these posts will stick around.